Born Mar. 6, 1885, in Niles, Mich.; died Sept. 25, 1933, in East Hampton, N.Y. American writer and satirist.

Lardner wrote short stories debunking the interest in success and careerism in bourgeois society—for example, the collections The Love Nest (1926) and Round Up (1929). His satire used the traditional contrast between appearance and reality developed by Mark Twain. Lardner relied on irony that could be read between the lines, grotesque humor, and sardonic commentary from the narrator to make his point.